Rangers are still in the title mix, says McCoist

Ally McCoist insists rivals Celtic can be caught in the SPL title race (PA)

Ally McCoist has backed his Rangers team to push for the SPL title, despite losing ground on Celtic with a 1-1 home draw against Aberdeen. "We've got a squad of players I believe can win the championship. But I'm frustrated as I certainly feel as though we could have won the game given the chances we created." McCoist said.

After a scrappy opening 20 minutes, Rangers looked favourites to score but it was Aberdeen who took the lead just after the hour mark with Kari Arnason squeezing a tidy finish inside the far post, rounding off a fine counter-attack. Rangers hit back almost immediately through Maurice Edu but, despite bombarding the Aberdeen goal, they were unable to force a winner.

Saturday's game also saw a farewell tribute for David Weir who this week announced he is leaving Rangers. The 41-year-old has won eight medals in five years at Ibrox and wants to continue playing but was honoured with a ceremony at half-time, and will be inducted into Rangers' hall of fame.

Having led Celtic by 12 points in November, Saturday's slip- up means Rangers now trail their Glasgow rivals by four points. Celtic beat St Mirren 2-0 in a lunch-time kick-off on Saturday.

After stubborn resistance, Jamie Forrest and captain Scott Brown got the goals that recorded Celtic's 12th successive league win. Manager Neil Lennon singled out his skipper's display: "Scott has leadership, drive, he reads the game brilliantly and was right in the thick of it to cap off his performance with a goal like that."